Answers, rulings, and comments on the posts from page 2
The Forsaken One
Couple of things:
1) Anab, mail me I got a proposition for you.
2) Edena, as told I'm offering alliance to all who want to kick melkor out. Psions for Psions
3) Who wants to hit Melkor with me? More People ?
4) Edena, I'd like your final rulings, anouncements, PL and alliances of Athas before we start. If you have the time that is. I'd like to know what I'm up and and whos side everyone (publically ) is on.
5) My 11th plans will be coming our way soon.
6) William repluy to my mail plz exept I think we have a new winner and nr.1 The other plan will come later.
ANSWER:
Athas stands as follows.
The dwarves, elven tribes, halfling savages, Mind Lords of the Last Sea, Veiled Alliance, and many rebels are on the side of Forsaken One and all his allies.
The Dragon-Kings are on the side of Melkor.
Rajaat, his Champions, and his Army of Clensing (very evil) with their 11th level magic, are undecided:
They are offering to ally with Melkor, if he will abandon Athas and concentrate on other worlds.
If he refuses, Rajaat will probably attack Melkor.
Since Melkor does not wish to be whelmed by everyone ganging up on him, I am willing to bet he will accept Rajaat's proposal.
If he does, I the DM will play Rajaat.
- - -
Uvenelei
M
Yo, all. I've been feeling sick for the past few days, and this morning capped it off. I'm gonna be in bed for the rest of today, maybe tommorow. Have no fear; if I don't say anything for a while, I'm not dead (yet).
I haven't had time to read all of Edena's answers and the new posts, just Edena's answer to me. In any case, I'll accept the help of the Church of Toril, but Aurican won't be joining. Anyone in the Crescent who wants to join the church will be welcome to do so, but I doubt that there will be many converts. (my bid for the Church of Toril is in)
PS: If someone could kill Melkor while I'm gone, It'd make me feel better.
ANSWER: I am sorry, Uvenelei. I hope you feel better soon. There has been an awful lot of spring flu running around ...
Your claim to the Church of Toril is in ... it seems several people want the Church of Toril.
The IR will not be starting for another week.
I regret the delay, but it is imperative that all the open Powers be handed out first. Only then can real rping begin with those Powers.
And only then can I truly update the Lists.
I have done the best I could on the 11th level dueling rules - I hope they are not too confusing.
They give you a chance to use 11th level magic to fight your enemies without getting totally lost in the Godlike possibilities of that staggering magic.
- - -
zouron
*Travel all to short through the mist is found a land, a barren waste land with long dead trees crumbling like dust and rotting endlessly. This land of rock, dust and darkness holds no life indeed it seems to fed on the small breaht of living activities brought in by the wind.. a small bird slowly getting tired from the long flight, it lands on a only branch that immidiately breaks completely rotten away inside, the bird take to the wings a bit and finds another tree able to hold its frail body for a few minutes of rest. The bird rest but the minutes turns to hours for it fell asleep, the night brings a harsh storm forcing the poor creature to say longer, as the grey light lites up the waste land the bird lays on the ground stiff and motiontless legs directly into the air. It died in the night.
ANSWER:
Sadly, this is the actual state in AnaKeris and Aquaria. You describe it all too well.
And AnaKeris and Aquaria were only brushed by the destruction - they got off lightly, as it were.
On Oerik, the great continent, conditions are FAR, FAR worse.
This is the land which lays just beyond the mist, the land ruled by a mere shadow of a great man, a twisted and evil being of what was once good and fair. The being floats mere by extending its will, the magic once learnt by mortal was perfected by the dead now used to corrupt everything, but the knowledge the endless libraries long gone and everytime found it was yet gone, but the being kept searching, only one item still hold some knowledge some knowledge of the dark deeds once preformed and the being cheerished the vile book of damnation. The being slowly let its fingers run down over the page slowly letting letters appear.*
The mist spreads and the blood stops.
Destruction continues, war comes.
Words, decay and desperation.
These shall be send, these shall be theirs.
Scouts to the selfish sent, soon life shall be dead.
*The being stops for a moment and watches the words, then continues to moves it fingers down over the page*
Dark Destroyer for sand fights, blood will flow.
Pain to a former home, pain shall fade with death.
Tentacles reaches and restrict the weak, some shall break.
Day becomes darkness and night becomes bright.
The Mist grows thick, the mist shall feast.
Dead shall walk, void shall be all.
*The being stops and makes a movement to close it, but stops then the pages flips backward towards the beginning and stops on a certain page the being looks for a long time on the page and speaks out*
Days and Nights passes by, and the great lord hears not the words. The book of Damnation lets me read the poages I am to write ohh the fall is near, but I shall prevail I shall destroy and she shall fall!
When I lead, all shall suffer! all shall fall before me! and all shall die, kill each other in their insanity!
*The being itself reads the handwritting that would make others insane to see, making sense to it in its own way, it looks for moment then closes the book plans forming, the end is planned.*
ooc: ye really thought you had long since heard the last of zouron didn't ye!
ANSWER: Someone knows their Ravenloft real well. Take heed folks. Ravenloft is well described by the words above.
And yes, Lord Zouron can cast 11th level magic - in Ravenloft.
I suppose he is looking forward greatly to all the new arrivals (if they arrive) ...
- - -
LordMelkor{Talos}
Hey , it is unfair, it was I that invited Drow Amada to Oerth, I hoped that they would attack Kalanyr, it wasn`t supposed to end like this! There is no justice in this world
Hmm, conspiring against me, are you? It won`t help you.
ANSWER: Well, Melkor, Rajaat - who has 11th level magic - is offering to help you. But you have to leave Athas, or the deal is off.
As for spanking, I do believe Melkor has everyone one-upped on that one ...
- - -
Mr. Draco
Melkor, even if we were conspiring against you, it wouldn't make a difference in the outcome. Your armies shall fall before the might of a united oerth. They shall be defeated at every turn, only to retreat and run into more Oerthian forces as they do so. You can not win. Give up now and maybe something of yours will survive. If not, well, your forces will be swept aside, like dust in the wind.
ANSWER: Oerth, is united? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
- - -
Anabstercorian
<< No. He must be destroyed utterly and completely, his people reduced to slaves. Only the great grandchildren of his people will know freedom. There must be no mercy for him!
The all-consuming Black Flame that is Melkor cannot even be allowed to smoulder. >>
ANSWER: Heh. That was an Anabstercorian Classic.
- - -
Tokiwong
Iuz watches the plotting from afar... burning flames surrounding his form... "Hmmph... it is good to see that little has changed since the cataclysm brought down by Forrester... the bickering and fighting continues..."
Talindra looked to Iuz, "We will not fight a war for you milord..."
ANSWER: Yes they will. The Veiled Alliance has changed it's position. They will fight, against anyone invading Athas.
Iuz looked back to her, "I did not ask you too... I have no intentions of fighting... we shall watch and guard... ourselves from reprisal... our path is not their own... we have a greater goal..." she bowed her head...
"So then you shall stay in self-imposed exile..." she replied...
"Consider it a sabbatical... there will be time enough for bloodshed... for now simply enjoy the dark comedy that is the politcis of Oerth... you may just find yourself as amused as I..." Iuz smiled...
Talindra shook her head, "I highly doubt that..."
"Oh?"
"The forces being brought to bear will destroy much more then they know..." Talindra replied her left brow arched...
Iuz shrugged, "I still think it is quite amusing..." he started walking down across the courtyard... Talindra following him slowly...
RULING: Talindra is romantically attracted to Iuz. She is making passes at him.
- - -
Reprisal
Well now...
... how can I not accept renewed control over The United Commonwealth of Toril?
All right, if the UC is to return to a more proactive player in these reindeer games, I will have to know a few things first off...
ANSWER: Reprisal, I have tried to create a simple way for everyone to duel with each other using 11th level magic. It is the second and fourth posts on this thread.
Using this simple way, it is possible for the IR to continue, for people to battle, without everyone getting sucked down into the quagmire of endless possibilities of 11th level magic - all those possiblities are assumed in the Attack / Defense system.
The best I could do, to handle something that could not be handled.
Read through the Attack / Defense rules carefully - they can use them to destroy the United Commonwealth, and you can use them to destroy your enemies.
Reprisal, fight! Fight like mad. The United Commonwealth is the cumulation of everything in the 2nd IR, the result of all the effort.
Don't let it be destroyed! Fight! Fight like mad.
Because, unfortunately, I - as the DM - have to play the bad guys (Rajaat, and probably Mina) and they WILL attempt to destroy the United Commonwealth.
My regrets, but I must do my job. You must do battle against the forces I am running - you must overcome me, and those in the game who are your foes, and win!
Otherwise, I do believe the United Commonwealth will be kneeling to the Church of Shade and the One God, and her people will be slaves, and her women given out as pleasure slaves for the amusement of the Shade.
All her beauty will be destroyed, as Toril becomes a part of the Plane of Shadow.
1. Who claims to be the allies of the United Commonwealth? And how have our relations been so far?
ANSWER: Mina and the Knights of Neraka are an implacable enemy. So are Rajaat and his Champions.
The Church of Toril and the Church of Mercy are your allies by default.
I cannot speak for anyone else.
2. Who has demonstrated a genuine enthusiasm for the ideologies of the Commonwealth? (This sorts out who are our strategic allies, and who are our comprehensive allies...)
ANSWER: Hazen of the Kevellond League (William), and the Emerald Order (Venus) have most staunchly upheld ideals similar to those of the United Commonwealth, in my opinion.
If anyone disagrees with this, please feel free to say so. I do not wish to insult anyone here!
3. Who has long disagreed to the point of enmity with the United Commonwealth and its ideologies? And how have our relations been so far?
ANSWER: Among those still playing:
Anabstercorian
Mr. Draco
Forsaken One, to some extent.
Melkor
Serpenteye
Sollir
Tokiwong
Zouron, to some extent
Festy Dog and Kalanyr were enemies, but they have changed alignment to good.
In any event, here's a little background information on the United Commonwealth. (Though you might know this already, think of it as much a warm-up for myself... )
The United Commonwealth of Toril
The United Commonwealth (UC) was borne out of a heavy assortment of conflict between the forces of progress and the forces of tradition. After two cataclysmic conflicts with various powers, foreign and domestic, the United Commonwealth came into its own. Its chief founders, Sir Ian Payne of the Technocratic Coalition, and Lord Forrester of the Humanoid Alliance, came together as a result of the second conflict over Toril.
The UC itself is a confederacy of other nation-states who have joined together of their own volition. Its government is made up of two main branches: the executive branch, or the Commonwealth Presidency; and the legislative branch, or the Commonwealth Parliament.
The President of the UC is directly elected by all electors in the United Commonwealth.
The President has three main functions: first, he is the Commander-In-Chief of the UC Military; second, he is the chief architect of the UC's Foreign Policy; and lastly, he has the constitutionally guaranteed power to veto any bill coming from the Commonwealth Parliament.
The UC's current President, Forrester, has been the Head of State for over forty years now... He has been a true product of his upbringing in the Humanoid Alliance: patriotic, honourable, stubborn, and even a little hot-headed. This can be seen in many of his sweeping initiatives that have addressed issues of UC concern head-on. It is, perhaps, why many of those citizens of Oerth have a distinct distaste for him because of the apparent "over-assertion" of Torilian supremacy. Forrester has long been called the "Father of Toril" for good reason. He is a very paternalistic politician, often utilizing his country's great influence to steer other nations in the right direction... sometimes whether they like it or not.
WARNING TO REPRISAL:
Forrester hit Oerth with a massive bombardment, to wipe out a horrible menace called the Red Army.
Although he succeeded in doing so, his bombardment killed millions of innocent people, and reduced Oerth to a teutonic hell.
The people of Oerth, including even the Kevellond League, are VERY angry over this, and some speak of reprisal against the United Commonwealth for the destruction of their world.
Over these past forty years, the exponential growth in the population of the Humanoid Alliance has made it the single largest member-nation in the United Commonwealth. As a result, its influence in the lower chamber of the Commonwealth Parliament, called the Commonwealth Assembly, has increased along the same lines. A new political party, called the Commonwealth Party of Toril (CPT), had begun to supplant the Liberal-Democratic Party of Toril (LDP) slowly over time. Each term, it would grow a few seats, and the LDP would shrink about that many.
As we all know, the Commonwealth Parliament is the legislative branch of government. It is made up of two parts: the upper chamber, the Senate; and the lower chamber, the Assembly. Of the two, the lower chamber is the most important as the Head of Government (as opposed to the Head of State) is taken from that party with holds the largest amount of seats in the Assembly. The current governing party, simply referred to as the Government, is the upstart CPT with Korren O'Tagh as Prime Minister, but an election is coming up quickly, and the days of unbridled support Forrester has been enjoying appear to be numbered. The leader of the established LDP, Erika Lesage, has been gaining support from not only the Commonwealth Proper (the former Technocratic Coalition nations), and the rest of the sphere, but also from certain minority groups within the Humanoid Alliance...
The Commonwealth Senate has been the silent actor in all of these political undoings...
As the chamber representing the interests of member-nations, not of the entire population as with the Assembly, it has been able to disrupt any calls for total war by the President and Prime Minister. For this reason, many citizens in the Humanoid Alliance have called for the abolition of the Senate because they feel it undemocratic. They cite that a tiny member-state such as the Psionic League, which as since rebuilt from its ultimate sacrfice, has the same say as the entire Western Territory of the Humanoid Alliance... Others, especially within the Commonwealth Proper, have vigorously defended the Senate as the last bastion of rational governance.
To this day, the debate between populism and regionalism still rages on within the United Commonwealth...
The Greyhawk Dilemma: What shall we do?
At this point in time, the United Commonwealth of Toril has been at an impass. The discovery and subsequent involvement in the Realm of Greyhawk has become the focus of the media, acedemia, and government. There have been three main paradigms in relation to our relations with the Realm of Greyhawk.
One side, populated mostly by those supporting the CPT and the Humanoid Alliance, has called for an entire "pacification force" be sent to Greyhawk to subdue any wrong-doers and occupy Greyhawk until a time that it is ready to join the ranks of the United Commonwealth... This has been the dominant ideology of the Government, and the Presidency, and has only recently began to show signs of systemic weakness.
The other side, advocated primarily by the Commonwealth Proper and the Liberal-Democratic Party, has been one of diplomacy, multilateralism, and a careful focus of force (military, economic, or magical) upon those parties opposed to peace and prosperity. After many months of long campaigning, Erika Lesage has roused enough support to challenge the political supremacy Commonwealth Party.
The final, and perhaps most alarming side, in the debate are the isolationists. Supported by no significant political party, there has been a movement of people and non-governmental organizations calling for the complete and utter retreat from the Realm of Greyhawk. Citing the belief that "their's is no busisness of ours" the advocates of isolationism has been a thorn in the side of many, many a politician.
OOC: The Future is Uncertain
In the first few turns that I will be playing, I will be telling of the political pressures within the UC and how they affect those parties outside. There will be an election, and there will be much in the way of political, social and economic turmoil afterwards, no matter who wins... I would only ask that those Powers interested should start commenting on the way the UC has acted, and how they wish the UC to act from now on...
TO ALL THE IR
I am going to call for a Diplomatic Turn.
No Action Posts or fighting will be possible during this time.
Diplomacy will be the rule.
Consider this Interlude (which will be a long one) to be this Diplomatic Turn.
Reprisal put a great deal of work into his UC, and before you destroy it in a single Turn or a couple of Turns in some arbitrary battle (or battles), I want people to appreciate what Reprisal (and Forrester) created.
I want a chance for roleplaying here.
For appreciation.
There is no guarantee that the UC will be destroyed on Turn 7 or subsequent Turns, but the odds say it could happen.
Before it does, take a look at what some people put a lot of time and effort into creating.
They deserve that from you.
Again, I will not be starting Turn 7 for at least another week, as of this writing.
I WILL, however, be creating a lot of Interlude Threads, with fighting and action posts barred, so that you can interact with Reprisal, and the new Powers that have been claimed can be roleplayed.
For those of you who wish to fight, have patience.
There will be fighting aplenty and to spare, soon enough.
- - -
Tokiwong
OOC: Looks good I can't wait... as far as Iuz is concerned is a little miffed with what Forrester did to Oerth... but then again it isn't any less then what he would have done... at that time... but now... Iuz has taken control of the Eternal Empire of Toril... so who knows where the future will lie for him... nice intro by the way...
ANSWER: Reprisal, please do consider this. The Eternal Empire of Toril is not as strong as the United Commonwealth, but it is a hostile nation, and it could attack the UC, perhaps in conjunction with other attackers.
Please take note.
, since the Draogn Kings already seem to be on Melkor's side...
